Short Interest in United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) Drops By 48.5%

United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:UBCP) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 8,171 shares, a drop of 48.5% from the June 30th total of 15,854 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,857 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.8 days. Currently, 0.2% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Bancorp

In other news, Director Gary W. Glessner bought 3,527 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.93 per share, for a total transaction of $52,658.11. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 108,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,612,469.86. This trade represents a 3.38% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Scott A. Everson bought 2,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $14.93 per share, for a total transaction of $33,040.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 143,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,137,408.66. The trade was a 1.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 7,295 shares of company stock valued at $108,914. 13.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of United Bancorp during the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Bancorp by 82.4% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,035 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,371 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in United Bancorp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $64,000. Citadel Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Bancorp in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $151,000. Finally, Appalachian Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in United Bancorp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $479,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 15.42% of the company’s stock.

United Bancorp Stock Performance

Shares of UBCP opened at $15.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $89.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.33. The company’s fifty day moving average is $15.70 and its 200-day moving average is $15.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. United Bancorp has a 12 month low of $12.47 and a 12 month high of $17.33.

United Bancorp (NASDAQ:UBCP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $8.62 million during the quarter. United Bancorp had a net margin of 16.55% and a return on equity of 11.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised United Bancorp from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy”.

About United Bancorp

United Bancorp, Inc operates as the bank holding company for Unified Bank that provides commercial and retail banking services in Ohio. The company provides range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings, and time deposits. It also offers commercial, real estate and consumer loans. United Bancorp, Inc was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Martins Ferry, Ohio.